RexWeather User Guide

Welcome to RexWeather! This guide covers setup, live weather, the Tornado Explorer, nearby history, settings, accessibility, and tips.

🌤️ Getting Started

First Launch

1. Allow Location Access so your current conditions and nearby tornado history are accurate.
2. Weather Loads Immediately. Animated backgrounds reflect your current conditions.
3. Tornado Data Auto‑Loads. A progress bar appears between the weather cards and tornado features while the NOAA database downloads (cached for 30 days).
4. Pull to Refresh to fetch fresh weather anytime.

Main Weather

• Current temperature (+ feels‑like), humidity, wind, and condition icon.
• Battery‑friendly, timer‑based animations with automatic pause in Low Power Mode.
• Tap the gear icon for units, theme, and map style.

🌪️ Tornado History

Two Ways to Explore

• Nearby Tornado History — search around your location with a configurable radius (5–50 miles; default 20).
• Tornado Explorer — the full 1950–present database with outbreaks, research eras, and advanced filtering.

Understanding the Details

• EF Rating Colors from EF0 (green) to EF5 (purple).
• Path length and width, start/end markers, and direction.
• Cross‑State Tracking and cities along the path via real‑time reverse geocoding.
• Share a formatted summary with a map snapshot.

🗺️ Tornado Explorer

Quick Start

• Outbreak Buttons — one‑tap access to 6 famous outbreaks (e.g., 2011 Super Outbreak, 1974 Super Outbreak, Joplin 2011, Moore 1999/2013, Dixie Alley 2014). The app auto‑sets dates, EF minimums, zoom, and a smart radius.
• Historical Period Presets — 5 research eras (Fujita Scale Era, Doppler Revolution, Enhanced Fujita Era, Photography Era, Storm Chasing Era) with automatic date ranges and suggested EF minimums.
• Filter Sheet — set custom start/end dates and pick a minimum EF (EF0–EF5). Manual changes clear any preset selection.
• Performance — up to 500 tracks are rendered at once for smooth scrolling.

🧭 Maps & Styles

• Map Styles — Standard, Hybrid, Imagery, and Muted Standard. Your choice applies app‑wide (Explorer, Detail, History).
• Start/End Markers with EF badges, plus colored path segments by rating.
• Location Search — move the map, search a city, or enter coordinates to explore anywhere.

⚙️ Settings

• Theme — System, Light, or Dark.
• Units — Fahrenheit/°C and mph/km h.
• Search Radius — 5–50 miles (default 20), applied to all “nearby” features.
• Map Style — Standard • Hybrid • Imagery • Muted Standard.
• Data — cache status, manual refresh, clear cache, 30‑day auto‑refresh, and advanced: custom NOAA SPC URL.
• Info & Acknowledgements — WeatherKit legal attribution, developer site, and Buy me a coffee.

🛠️ Accessibility

• WCAG 2.1 AA contrast targets; Dynamic Type; 44×44 pt touch targets.
• VoiceOver labels and hints on cards, maps, filters, and buttons.
• Reduce Motion respect and high‑contrast friendly visuals.

📱 Tips & Troubleshooting

Tips

• Close heavy apps before storm chasing for the smoothest map performance.
• Maps use more data than weather; Wi‑Fi helps when panning around.
• Use Dark theme on OLED for better battery life.

Common Issues

Location Not Working

1. Settings → Privacy → Location Services.
2. Allow RexWeather “While Using the App”.
3. Restart the app.

Weather Not Loading

1. Check your connection.
2. Pull to refresh.
3. Force close and reopen.

Tornado Data Missing

1. On first launch, wait for the loading bar (initial download).
2. Expand the radius (Settings → Tornado Search Radius).
3. Check Explorer date range and EF minimum.

Performance Issues

1. Avoid other GPU‑heavy apps in the background.
2. Update to the latest iOS.
3. Restart your device if animations feel choppy.

Enjoy exploring weather and tornado history with RexWeather! 🌪️⚡